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  3. An interesting (or not) thing about C#'s var

An interesting (or not) thing about C#'s var

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  • L Lost User

    N_tro_P wrote:

    I have heard a lot of complaints, but have found none are valid if a person is in general, not an idiot.

    I prefer to stay a general idiot then. The kid that wrote the code I cleaned up today drank the same coolaid. Var all over the place, including many unused and forgotten variables. He obviously really did not care about types or know how to deal with them. Also some cut and paste redundancy, endless fully qualified namespaces without any need. All that and much more in the code behind of a WinForm. I refactored about 85% of that away or into other layers. The remaining code does not only work better. It has become even more readable because it's only a tiny fraction of what it was before. So how about not obscessing about readability or countless 'this' or mile long namespaces? How about investing a little more thought into what we are doing and how we do it?

    The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
    This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
    "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

    L Offline
    L Offline
    Lost User
    wrote on last edited by
    #17

    CDP1802 wrote:

    How about investing a little more thought into what we are doing and how we do it?

    That is in fact my point. Those that have issues with var (as you clearly do) do not have an issue with it, but that it makes the bad practices even worse. The fact is, you are working with someone with very bad practices. That does NOT make var bad practice. It just amplifies his bad practice.

    Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

    T 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • L Lost User

      Eddy Vluggen wrote:

      Simple case against that reasoning; var does not just hide the type, it accepts every type - and that might change, without going noticed when using var.

      Actually that is why its good.

      Eddy Vluggen wrote:

      var con = (IDbConnection) Factory.GetConnectable();

      So because you casted it and now have a run time failure it is var's fault? Sorry, you are wrong. The fault is on the guy that casted it when it should have returned as the needed type for the method it is in. Again, don't be an idiot and it works fine. There should be no need to cast, and if there is you should protect your calls to the object after you casted it.

      Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

      L Offline
      L Offline
      Lost User
      wrote on last edited by
      #18

      N_tro_P wrote:

      Actually that is why its good.

      It is if you dislike strong typing, in which case you might prefer VB.NET :)

      N_tro_P wrote:

      So because you casted it and now have a run time failure it is var's fault?

      No, I did not state that; merely that it would be redundant to repeat the type instead of using var. Do elaborate and please explain what in your eyes I would have blamed on var?

      N_tro_P wrote:

      The fault is on the guy that casted it when it should have returned as the needed type for the method it is in.

      You go ahead and complain with Microsoft, I'll be waiting here for the result.

      N_tro_P wrote:

      Again, don't be an idiot and it works fine.

      The not being an idiot part would IMO be that you verify that you get what you expect, and not to use "var" as a "variant" from VB.

      Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

      L 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • L Lost User

        N_tro_P wrote:

        Actually that is why its good.

        It is if you dislike strong typing, in which case you might prefer VB.NET :)

        N_tro_P wrote:

        So because you casted it and now have a run time failure it is var's fault?

        No, I did not state that; merely that it would be redundant to repeat the type instead of using var. Do elaborate and please explain what in your eyes I would have blamed on var?

        N_tro_P wrote:

        The fault is on the guy that casted it when it should have returned as the needed type for the method it is in.

        You go ahead and complain with Microsoft, I'll be waiting here for the result.

        N_tro_P wrote:

        Again, don't be an idiot and it works fine.

        The not being an idiot part would IMO be that you verify that you get what you expect, and not to use "var" as a "variant" from VB.

        Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

        L Offline
        L Offline
        Lost User
        wrote on last edited by
        #19

        Eddy Vluggen wrote:

        It is if you dislike strong typing, in which case you might prefer VB.NET :)

        X|

        Eddy Vluggen wrote:

        No, I did not state that; merely that it would be redundant to repeat the type instead of using var.

        THen I misunderstood your example. Not sure what you were trying to show as the failure of using var in that case...

        Eddy Vluggen wrote:

        Do elaborate and please explain what in your eyes I would have blamed on var?

        It seemed like you were implying you would hit an exception with return differences. So my point was, the return differences would have been fine if you did not cast.

        Eddy Vluggen wrote:

        You go ahead and complain with Microsoft, I'll be waiting here for the result.

        That's not MS's fault. Tis the point. That is the fault of the bad programmer. You can't fix stupid, but you can shield yourself from it. From that I get why people have had bad run ins with var. But to my point, there was usually something else actually at fault AND there was a more accepted practice at finding the error.

        Eddy Vluggen wrote:

        The not being an idiot part would IMO be that you verify that you get what you expect, and not to use "var" as a "variant" from VB.

        But now you just used circular logic. You are saying it is bad because people that use it are bad, and people that use it are bad because it is bad. Sorry, that is just wrong. You haven't made your case at all. var works great. Bad programmers will be bad programmers. You meantioned VB.Net and honestly that is part of its problem too. Sooooo many VB programmers were in fact wanna be programmers (NOT ALL!!!) which caused normal programmers to witness this barrage of atrocities committed in the name of VB.Net VB can be fine. I simply do not like it, but that is out because I do not use it. One could just as easily say C or java or Ruby is bad because I am not using it regularly. In the case of VB though it had a flood of bad programmers that created systems that have created a stigmata on the language. Maybe this is happening with var too.

        Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank ou

        L 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • L Lost User

          Eddy Vluggen wrote:

          It is if you dislike strong typing, in which case you might prefer VB.NET :)

          X|

          Eddy Vluggen wrote:

          No, I did not state that; merely that it would be redundant to repeat the type instead of using var.

          THen I misunderstood your example. Not sure what you were trying to show as the failure of using var in that case...

          Eddy Vluggen wrote:

          Do elaborate and please explain what in your eyes I would have blamed on var?

          It seemed like you were implying you would hit an exception with return differences. So my point was, the return differences would have been fine if you did not cast.

          Eddy Vluggen wrote:

          You go ahead and complain with Microsoft, I'll be waiting here for the result.

          That's not MS's fault. Tis the point. That is the fault of the bad programmer. You can't fix stupid, but you can shield yourself from it. From that I get why people have had bad run ins with var. But to my point, there was usually something else actually at fault AND there was a more accepted practice at finding the error.

          Eddy Vluggen wrote:

          The not being an idiot part would IMO be that you verify that you get what you expect, and not to use "var" as a "variant" from VB.

          But now you just used circular logic. You are saying it is bad because people that use it are bad, and people that use it are bad because it is bad. Sorry, that is just wrong. You haven't made your case at all. var works great. Bad programmers will be bad programmers. You meantioned VB.Net and honestly that is part of its problem too. Sooooo many VB programmers were in fact wanna be programmers (NOT ALL!!!) which caused normal programmers to witness this barrage of atrocities committed in the name of VB.Net VB can be fine. I simply do not like it, but that is out because I do not use it. One could just as easily say C or java or Ruby is bad because I am not using it regularly. In the case of VB though it had a flood of bad programmers that created systems that have created a stigmata on the language. Maybe this is happening with var too.

          Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank ou

          L Offline
          L Offline
          Lost User
          wrote on last edited by
          #20

          N_tro_P wrote:

          So my point was, the return differences would have been fine if you did not cast.

          The cast is there to specifically say which interface is expected.

          N_tro_P wrote:

          So my point was, the return differences would have been fine if you did not cast.

          That argument is pro weak typing, isn't it?

          N_tro_P wrote:

          That's not MS's fault. Tis the point. That is the fault of the bad programmer.

          The DbProvider returns a class, but I only use the interface - so when I can be specific about which type I expect, I do.

          N_tro_P wrote:

          But now you just used circular logic. You are saying it is bad because people that use it are bad, and people that use it are bad because it is bad.

          No, again, you are reading what is not there. I merely state that not being an idiot would mean that you verify, and not generalize.

          Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

          L 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • L Lost User

            This is again an example of someone not knowing what they are doing. You are blaiming var because you had an escape. First off, the real blame is the guy that changed it and shouldnt have. Secondly, the escape happened not because you used var but because you did not have good perf testing prior to release. Stop blaiming var for your problems. var is just a method of keeping syntax clean. Yes, it takes good practice but having bad practice doesn't mean var was the problem.

            Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

            Sander RosselS Offline
            Sander RosselS Offline
            Sander Rossel
            wrote on last edited by
            #21

            N_tro_P wrote:

            This is again an example of someone not knowing what they are doing

            Or someone who knew fully well what they did, but just missed it. I believe the query changed, so that person basically changed everything after Context.Things and just forgot the call to ToList. The person may have been me, I couldn't say. I was the one to fix it though.

            N_tro_P wrote:

            good perf testing prior to release

            Yeah, neither us nor our customer can afford a second environment that's exactly like our production environment :doh: It worked fine in tests.

            N_tro_P wrote:

            Stop blaiming var for your problems

            I actually blame IQueryable that looks like an IEnumerable, but is really something very different. IQueryable quaks like a duck and walks like a duck, but isn't actually a duck. IQueryable breaks the Liskov's Substitution Principle (the L in SOLID) that states that any super class must behave like its base class. Only by not using var we can catch such by-design-quirks. The only REAL reason to use var, where you actually HAVE to, is when you use anonymous types.

            Read my (free) ebook Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly. Visit my blog at Sander's bits - Writing the code you need. Or read my articles here on CodeProject.

            Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

            Regards, Sander

            L 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • L Lost User

              N_tro_P wrote:

              So my point was, the return differences would have been fine if you did not cast.

              The cast is there to specifically say which interface is expected.

              N_tro_P wrote:

              So my point was, the return differences would have been fine if you did not cast.

              That argument is pro weak typing, isn't it?

              N_tro_P wrote:

              That's not MS's fault. Tis the point. That is the fault of the bad programmer.

              The DbProvider returns a class, but I only use the interface - so when I can be specific about which type I expect, I do.

              N_tro_P wrote:

              But now you just used circular logic. You are saying it is bad because people that use it are bad, and people that use it are bad because it is bad.

              No, again, you are reading what is not there. I merely state that not being an idiot would mean that you verify, and not generalize.

              Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

              L Offline
              L Offline
              Lost User
              wrote on last edited by
              #22

              Eddy Vluggen wrote:

              The cast is there to specifically say which interface is expected.

              Yes, but why? Why do you need that? It is not necessary and was my point. By placing the cast you create a potential run time error that was not even necessary.

              Eddy Vluggen wrote:

              That argument is pro weak typing, isn't it?

              Yes. There is no need for strict typing in MANY cases (no not all). And a good programmer should know how to use that to their advantage....

              Eddy Vluggen wrote:

              The DbProvider returns a class, but I only use the interface - so when I can be specific about which type I expect, I do.

              OK. Do you know what an adapter is? (rhetorical question actually)

              Eddy Vluggen wrote:

              I merely state that not being an idiot would mean that you verify, and not generalize.

              Not sure what you are saying, but yeah you should have verification. Most of the people that posted issues with var seemed to blame it for 2 things 1. The escaped failure 2. The fact the failure escaped Neither are true and simple verification procedures and tests would have been far more appropriate. Is this a generalization. Yep, but that is what I am seeing in all of the respondents and near all conversations I have had with people that dislike var.

              Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

              L 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • Sander RosselS Sander Rossel

                N_tro_P wrote:

                This is again an example of someone not knowing what they are doing

                Or someone who knew fully well what they did, but just missed it. I believe the query changed, so that person basically changed everything after Context.Things and just forgot the call to ToList. The person may have been me, I couldn't say. I was the one to fix it though.

                N_tro_P wrote:

                good perf testing prior to release

                Yeah, neither us nor our customer can afford a second environment that's exactly like our production environment :doh: It worked fine in tests.

                N_tro_P wrote:

                Stop blaiming var for your problems

                I actually blame IQueryable that looks like an IEnumerable, but is really something very different. IQueryable quaks like a duck and walks like a duck, but isn't actually a duck. IQueryable breaks the Liskov's Substitution Principle (the L in SOLID) that states that any super class must behave like its base class. Only by not using var we can catch such by-design-quirks. The only REAL reason to use var, where you actually HAVE to, is when you use anonymous types.

                Read my (free) ebook Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly. Visit my blog at Sander's bits - Writing the code you need. Or read my articles here on CodeProject.

                Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

                Regards, Sander

                L Offline
                L Offline
                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #23

                Sander Rossel wrote:

                I believe the query changed, so that person basically changed everything after Context.Things and just forgot the call to ToList.

                Your failure is staring you in the face, but you keep wanting to blame var. Also, testing is not just theoretical practice....

                Sander Rossel wrote:

                Yeah, neither us nor our customer can afford a second environment that's exactly like our production environment

                Sounds like a scapegoat to me, but OK. Not sure if you have ever listened to some of the MS evangelicals talk about their releases and test procedures. YEs, billion dollar company. They also happen to offer "free" server space to MSDN subscribers. Your statement was way to vague to know what you are testing, but I to use an excuse of it costing too much is proven to be wrong. I can find out countless articles and examples that show testing up front is far cheaper than releasing with an issue and having to fix in production. But I am sure you know that....

                Sander Rossel wrote:

                I actually blame IQueryable that looks like an IEnumerable, but is really something very different. IQueryable quaks like a duck and walks like a duck, but isn't actually a duck. IQueryable breaks the Liskov's Substitution Principle (the L in SOLID) that states that any super class must behave like its base class. Only by not using var we can catch such by-design-quirks.

                Ummmm no. I think you are making assumptions about your IEnumerble from using it with local memory (e.g. using it when it was on a List in memory). It follows the correct behavior as written in IEnumerable, but again you are being vague so maybe you have an actual example you care to share.

                Sander Rossel wrote:

                The only REAL reason to use var, where you actually HAVE to, is when you use anonymous types.

                ACtually no. As the OP stated, there are others. His example is actually I good one that I have taken advantage of many times. Specifically, you do NOT need references to the namespace or library even. Anyway, this horse is a bit bloody. I have found var is a religious argument, but I have also brought many over to "the dark side" through diligent coding. I have yet to see someone be persuaded the opposite, for as I said most people use it as a scapegoat for some other failure and lack of testing.

                Sander RosselS 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • L Lost User

                  CDP1802 wrote:

                  How about investing a little more thought into what we are doing and how we do it?

                  That is in fact my point. Those that have issues with var (as you clearly do) do not have an issue with it, but that it makes the bad practices even worse. The fact is, you are working with someone with very bad practices. That does NOT make var bad practice. It just amplifies his bad practice.

                  Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

                  T Offline
                  T Offline
                  TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #24

                  I'm with you on var, I use it myself when the type is obvious. But this statement

                  N_tro_P wrote:

                  It just amplifies his bad practice.

                  Is the only really cogent argument against using var.

                  #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

                  L 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • L Lost User

                    Sander Rossel wrote:

                    I believe the query changed, so that person basically changed everything after Context.Things and just forgot the call to ToList.

                    Your failure is staring you in the face, but you keep wanting to blame var. Also, testing is not just theoretical practice....

                    Sander Rossel wrote:

                    Yeah, neither us nor our customer can afford a second environment that's exactly like our production environment

                    Sounds like a scapegoat to me, but OK. Not sure if you have ever listened to some of the MS evangelicals talk about their releases and test procedures. YEs, billion dollar company. They also happen to offer "free" server space to MSDN subscribers. Your statement was way to vague to know what you are testing, but I to use an excuse of it costing too much is proven to be wrong. I can find out countless articles and examples that show testing up front is far cheaper than releasing with an issue and having to fix in production. But I am sure you know that....

                    Sander Rossel wrote:

                    I actually blame IQueryable that looks like an IEnumerable, but is really something very different. IQueryable quaks like a duck and walks like a duck, but isn't actually a duck. IQueryable breaks the Liskov's Substitution Principle (the L in SOLID) that states that any super class must behave like its base class. Only by not using var we can catch such by-design-quirks.

                    Ummmm no. I think you are making assumptions about your IEnumerble from using it with local memory (e.g. using it when it was on a List in memory). It follows the correct behavior as written in IEnumerable, but again you are being vague so maybe you have an actual example you care to share.

                    Sander Rossel wrote:

                    The only REAL reason to use var, where you actually HAVE to, is when you use anonymous types.

                    ACtually no. As the OP stated, there are others. His example is actually I good one that I have taken advantage of many times. Specifically, you do NOT need references to the namespace or library even. Anyway, this horse is a bit bloody. I have found var is a religious argument, but I have also brought many over to "the dark side" through diligent coding. I have yet to see someone be persuaded the opposite, for as I said most people use it as a scapegoat for some other failure and lack of testing.

                    Sander RosselS Offline
                    Sander RosselS Offline
                    Sander Rossel
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #25

                    N_tro_P wrote:

                    I have found var is a religious argument

                    Sounds pretty religious to you. I've pointed out some scenarios where NOT using var may help in catching errors early and all you did is call me a failure and a bad programmer who doesn't know what he's doing and compare free MSDN server space to actual production environments. I actually checked if you were our regular troll, but you have a little too much rep for that. Seems you're just bad mannered. I'm quite done discussing this with you. I do use var though. Probably a lot more often than you don't :)

                    Read my (free) ebook Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly. Visit my blog at Sander's bits - Writing the code you need. Or read my articles here on CodeProject.

                    Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

                    Regards, Sander

                    L J 2 Replies Last reply
                    0
                    • M Marc Clifton

                      [disclaimer] OK, this is probably a totally lame post. [/disclaimer] When you use var (or even if you just embed the rvalue as a parameter to another method), you don't need to reference the assembly containing the type. var prop = rec.GetType().GetProperty(propName); Doesn't require using System.Reflection; And Intellisense works just fine. But this: PropertyInfo prop = rec.GetType().GetProperty(propName); Does. Neither does this: object val = Converter.Convert(data, rec.GetType().GetProperty(propName).PropertyType); I find that, well, interesting. (I'm using VS2015, lest anyone even care.) Marc

                      Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project! Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny

                      M Offline
                      M Offline
                      Mycroft Holmes
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #26

                      var seem way too close to the VB6 variant type so I have trouble typing it. The same applies for GOTO, just can't bring myself to use them.

                      Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

                      Richard DeemingR 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • M Marc Clifton

                        [disclaimer] OK, this is probably a totally lame post. [/disclaimer] When you use var (or even if you just embed the rvalue as a parameter to another method), you don't need to reference the assembly containing the type. var prop = rec.GetType().GetProperty(propName); Doesn't require using System.Reflection; And Intellisense works just fine. But this: PropertyInfo prop = rec.GetType().GetProperty(propName); Does. Neither does this: object val = Converter.Convert(data, rec.GetType().GetProperty(propName).PropertyType); I find that, well, interesting. (I'm using VS2015, lest anyone even care.) Marc

                        Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project! Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny

                        realJSOPR Offline
                        realJSOPR Offline
                        realJSOP
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #27

                        I don't like var. If it's so goddamn wonderful, why require its use at all? Why bother even defining types at all? If I wanted to code like that, I'd use VB.

                        ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                        -----
                        You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                        -----
                        When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

                        Richard DeemingR L M J 4 Replies Last reply
                        0
                        • L Lost User

                          Eddy Vluggen wrote:

                          The cast is there to specifically say which interface is expected.

                          Yes, but why? Why do you need that? It is not necessary and was my point. By placing the cast you create a potential run time error that was not even necessary.

                          Eddy Vluggen wrote:

                          That argument is pro weak typing, isn't it?

                          Yes. There is no need for strict typing in MANY cases (no not all). And a good programmer should know how to use that to their advantage....

                          Eddy Vluggen wrote:

                          The DbProvider returns a class, but I only use the interface - so when I can be specific about which type I expect, I do.

                          OK. Do you know what an adapter is? (rhetorical question actually)

                          Eddy Vluggen wrote:

                          I merely state that not being an idiot would mean that you verify, and not generalize.

                          Not sure what you are saying, but yeah you should have verification. Most of the people that posted issues with var seemed to blame it for 2 things 1. The escaped failure 2. The fact the failure escaped Neither are true and simple verification procedures and tests would have been far more appropriate. Is this a generalization. Yep, but that is what I am seeing in all of the respondents and near all conversations I have had with people that dislike var.

                          Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #28

                          N_tro_P wrote:

                          By placing the cast you create a potential run time error that was not even necessary

                          At run-time? :)

                          N_tro_P wrote:

                          (rhetorical question actually)

                          Yeah, that helps clarifying the topic :thumbsup:

                          Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

                          L 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                            I'm with you on var, I use it myself when the type is obvious. But this statement

                            N_tro_P wrote:

                            It just amplifies his bad practice.

                            Is the only really cogent argument against using var.

                            #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

                            L Offline
                            L Offline
                            Lost User
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #29

                            TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                            I'm with you

                            Was that a pig that just flew by my window? ;P

                            TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                            N_tro_P wrote:

                            It just amplifies his bad practice.

                            Is the only really cogent argument against using var.

                            But in all seriousness, that is also what I notice. That's not to say there are not places it shouldn't be used, but all of the naysayers seem to completely over generalize and just consider it "bad", and it seems this is why.

                            Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

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                            • Sander RosselS Sander Rossel

                              N_tro_P wrote:

                              I have found var is a religious argument

                              Sounds pretty religious to you. I've pointed out some scenarios where NOT using var may help in catching errors early and all you did is call me a failure and a bad programmer who doesn't know what he's doing and compare free MSDN server space to actual production environments. I actually checked if you were our regular troll, but you have a little too much rep for that. Seems you're just bad mannered. I'm quite done discussing this with you. I do use var though. Probably a lot more often than you don't :)

                              Read my (free) ebook Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly. Visit my blog at Sander's bits - Writing the code you need. Or read my articles here on CodeProject.

                              Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

                              Regards, Sander

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                              Lost User
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #30

                              Sander Rossel wrote:

                              I've pointed out some scenarios where NOT using var may help in catching errors early

                              No you pointed out scenarios where your lack of testing was re-emphasized by not using var and then getting a different error than was even your actual problem. I would prefer having clear testing that gives clear errors of went wrong, and not use a weak type cast as a scape goat for the actual error and the lack of system testing.

                              Sander Rossel wrote:

                              all you did is call me a failure and a bad programmer

                              No, actually I said var has a bad rep because when a bad programmer uses it the good programmers were cringing anyways, and now cringe at var. Sort of like Pavlov's dog and the bell. There was never anything wrong with var, but you have falsely associated the two.

                              Sander Rossel wrote:

                              doesn't know what he's doing and compare free MSDN server space to actual production environments.

                              My profile is pretty open. You can claim I don't know what I am doing, but the chances are I have quite a bit more experience than you. Your attempted insult I shrug off with, "LMAO!"

                              Sander Rossel wrote:

                              I'm quite done discussing this with you.

                              You were never discussing. Your post above is proof. I gave you a chance to justify your environment rather than scapegoating it, and you attempted to use that opportunity at a childish insult. If I have learned one thing as a seasoned architect, it is there is always more to learn. I admit I could be wrong but as of yet not one of you nay sayers have actually made a solid argument other than 1. I don't like it 2. We have a team of nimkapoops that use it so I assume it is bad 3. We don't test so we incorrectly think we are protected from errors by using strong types Come up with an actual argument and THEN you have a discussion. Else, you just look like the guy mentioned in 2.

                              Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

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                              • L Lost User

                                N_tro_P wrote:

                                By placing the cast you create a potential run time error that was not even necessary

                                At run-time? :)

                                N_tro_P wrote:

                                (rhetorical question actually)

                                Yeah, that helps clarifying the topic :thumbsup:

                                Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

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                                Lost User
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #31

                                Eddy Vluggen wrote:

                                At run-time? :)

                                Yes. Are you seriously having issues over a hyphen in a poorly discussed topic in the lounge? No wonder you have issues with var.

                                Eddy Vluggen wrote:

                                Yeah, that helps clarifying the topic :thumbsup:

                                I thought so.

                                Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

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                                • M Mladen Jankovic

                                  Marc Clifton wrote:

                                  you don't need to reference the assembly containing the type

                                  Wait a second, you mean it does not require referencing assembly or using directive for the namespace?

                                  GeoGame for Windows Phone | The Lounge Explained In 5 Minutes

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                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #32

                                  Mladen Janković wrote:

                                  Wait a second, you mean it does not require referencing assembly or using directive for the namespace?

                                  That is correct. This makes it very useful when building adapters connecting to DB layer and even in the usage of the adapters.

                                  Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

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                                  • M Mycroft Holmes

                                    var seem way too close to the VB6 variant type so I have trouble typing it. The same applies for GOTO, just can't bring myself to use them.

                                    Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

                                    Richard DeemingR Offline
                                    Richard DeemingR Offline
                                    Richard Deeming
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #33

                                    Mycroft Holmes wrote:

                                    var seem way too close to the VB6 variant type

                                    A common misconception. var doesn't mean that your variable is untyped, or typed as object. It just means that the compiler decides what type the variable should be based on the value assigned to it when it is declared.

                                    var s = "Hello"; // Compiles to exactly the same IL as "string s = ..."
                                    s = 42; // Compiler error - cannot assign an Int32 to a String

                                    Totally unlike the Variant type, where the variable could contain anything, and all calls were late-bound:

                                    Dim s As Variant
                                    s = "Hello" ' Oh, it's a string...
                                    s = 42 ' Now it's a Long - that's fine...
                                    Set s = New ADODB.Connection ' An object? No problem...


                                    "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                                    "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

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                                    • realJSOPR realJSOP

                                      I don't like var. If it's so goddamn wonderful, why require its use at all? Why bother even defining types at all? If I wanted to code like that, I'd use VB.

                                      ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                                      -----
                                      You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                                      -----
                                      When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

                                      Richard DeemingR Offline
                                      Richard DeemingR Offline
                                      Richard Deeming
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #34

                                      John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

                                      Why bother even defining types at all?

                                      Because var doesn't mean "untyped". It means, "the type of this variable is obvious to the compiler, so I don't need to bother writing it".


                                      "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                                      "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

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                                      • L Lost User

                                        Eddy Vluggen wrote:

                                        At run-time? :)

                                        Yes. Are you seriously having issues over a hyphen in a poorly discussed topic in the lounge? No wonder you have issues with var.

                                        Eddy Vluggen wrote:

                                        Yeah, that helps clarifying the topic :thumbsup:

                                        I thought so.

                                        Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

                                        L Offline
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                                        Lost User
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #35

                                        N_tro_P wrote:

                                        Are you seriously having issues over a hyphen

                                        No. Just the difference with compile-time :)

                                        Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

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                                        • realJSOPR realJSOP

                                          I don't like var. If it's so goddamn wonderful, why require its use at all? Why bother even defining types at all? If I wanted to code like that, I'd use VB.

                                          ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                                          -----
                                          You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                                          -----
                                          When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

                                          L Offline
                                          L Offline
                                          Lost User
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #36

                                          John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

                                          If it's so goddamn wonderful, why require its use at all?

                                          It's not required. The post was showing a nice benefit. If you don't like benefits... Well, that's your problem I guess.

                                          John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

                                          Why bother even defining types at all?

                                          Why bother using high level languages? Why not just code in 1s and 0s? Yeah, silly question in response to a silly question. The fact is strong types are needed, but in my experience quite rarely. Weak types allow for improved architectural principles like development views and extensibility. The argument often made is the is errors that occur, but it is in fact a red herring in that the systems testability (another architectural principle) is lacking. That's not to say it has to be, but due to budget or lack of developer concern for tests or some other poorly justified reason it has been omitted from the system. The logic then becomes circular. We don't like it cause we found an error one time when someone used it. The truth is the error existed not because of var, and the nay sayers will usually acknowledge this. Where the gap is then, is on how it would have been caught or observed otherwise. Which goes back to testing. The testing should have been in place regardless, because it actually catches errors. Saying we use strong types because it catches errors is not observing the real issue. For one, strong types won't catch all of the errors. For two, proper testing would catch the same errors even if weak typed. Therefore, it is a red herring.

                                          Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet. The interesting thing about software is it can not reproduce, until it can.

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